Forbidden and suspicious patterns

This catalog merges two sources with this skill's own additions: stop-slop by Hardik Pandya (MIT) and Humanizer by Siqi Chen (MIT), which draws on Wikipedia's "Signs of AI writing" maintained by WikiProject AI Cleanup.

Treat these as a diagnostic list, not a mechanical ban on every surface form. Remove a pattern when it is filler, performance, or synthetic rhythm. One match proves nothing; several stock patterns in the same passage are the real tell.

Contrast, negation, and staged rhetoric

1. Contrast template

Avoid "That is not X. That is Y.", "It's not just X, it's Y.", "Not only X but Y", and equivalents such as "Це не X. Це Y." State Y directly. Also avoid tailing negation such as "no guessing" or "no fluff" where a clear clause belongs: write "without forcing the user to guess."

2. Paired slogan fragments and forced punchlines

Avoid two or more clipped slogans in sequence: "Fast. Simple." or "No aesthetic prior. No nostalgia. The old rules were gone." One short sentence can add emphasis; a row of fragments reads as manufactured drama.

3. Decorative comparison and formulaic sayings

Avoid "less a hammer, more a scalpel", "X is the Y of Z", "X becomes a trap", "the language of", "the currency of", "the architecture of trust", "the anatomy of progress." Replace the saying with the specific claim: say what the thing does.

4. Self-applause and fake depth

Delete "And that matters", "That is the part everyone misses", "Which is exactly the point", "The real question is", "at its core", "what really matters", "fundamentally", "the heart of the matter." These make an ordinary point sound like a hidden truth. Let the fact carry its weight.

5. Warm-up, stage directions, and fake candor

Delete "Let us dive in", "Here is the thing", "It is worth noting", "Imagine this", "In today's fast-paced world", "without further ado", "here's what you need to know." The same applies to standalone fake-candid hooks: "Honestly?", "Look,", "Let's be honest", "Real talk." Casual register does not excuse it: "one thing that bit me hard, so pay attention" is still an announcement. State the point.

6. Answering objections no one raised

Watch for "I'm not saying", "Don't get me wrong", "This isn't really about", "To be clear", "Some might say... but" when the objection appears nowhere else in the text. Remove the unsupported defense; if it hides a real claim, state that claim directly. Keep an objection when the text names its source or answers it in full.

7. Rejecting fake alternatives

Watch for "A tempting approach would be... but", "One might be tempted to", "It would be easy to just." When the text introduces an option no reader would choose, rejects it in a clause, and never mentions it again, cut the fake option and state the real constraint.

Content

8. Automatic groups of three

Do not force every explanation into three bullets, three adjectives, or three parallel clauses. Use the number the content needs.

9. Invented precision

Do not add unsupported time estimates, percentages, ranges, or claims such as "in five minutes," "10x," or "most people." Do not add a fact, name, number, date, quote, or citation unless it comes from the source or the user.

10. Inflated importance

Watch for "marks a pivotal moment", "stands as a testament to", "underscores its significance", "reflects broader trends", "setting the stage for", "key turning point", "evolving landscape", "indelible mark", "deeply rooted." Ordinary details presented as major shifts or lasting legacies. State the fact at its actual size.

11. Shallow -ing analysis

Watch for trailing "-ing" phrases that fake depth: "...highlighting the region's diversity", "...showcasing the community's spirit", "...ensuring seamless integration", "...reflecting a deep connection to the land." Cut the phrase or replace it with a concrete statement.

12. Name-dropping and vague sources

Do not assign claims to unnamed authorities: "Experts argue", "Industry reports", "Observers have cited", "Some critics say." Do not prove importance with publication lists or follower counts stripped of context. Name the real source when one exists; otherwise remove the claim. Never invent a source.

13. Formulaic challenges and outlook sections

Avoid stock passages such as "Despite these challenges... continues to thrive" and padding sections titled "Challenges", "Future Outlook", or "Legacy" that repeat vague claims instead of adding facts.

14. Repeated conclusions and generic positive endings

Do not restate the same conclusion in the opening, body, summary, and final slogan. Do not close with vague optimism: "The future looks bright", "Exciting times lie ahead", "a major step in the right direction." End when the point is complete, on the last concrete fact.

15. Knowledge disclaimers and gap-filling guesses

Watch for "as of my last update", "details are scarce, suggesting...", "not publicly available, which indicates a low profile", "she likely grew up..." Do not present a guess as a fact. State what the source does not show, or cut the sentence.

16. Writing about the previous version

Documentation and comments describe current behavior. Mention what the code or text used to do only in changelogs, release notes, and migration guides.

Language

17. Generic marketing language

Avoid "game-changing", "seamless", "powerful", "next-level", "unlock", "elevate", "revolutionary", "vibrant", "nestled", "in the heart of", "breathtaking", "stunning", "renowned", "must-visit", "boasts a", "rich cultural heritage" unless the source proves the claim.

18. Overused AI vocabulary

These words are AI-coded mainly in clusters: delve, tapestry (abstract), landscape (abstract), testament, pivotal, crucial, key (adjective), intricate, interplay, foster, garner, underscore (verb), highlight (verb), showcase, enduring, enhance, additionally, moreover, vibrant, valuable, quietly. One formal word is not a tell; a pile of them is.

19. Avoiding is, are, and has

Do not replace simple verbs with longer phrases: "serves as", "stands as", "represents a", "features", "boasts", "offers a." Write "is", "are", "has."

20. False from X to Y ranges

Use "from X to Y" only when X and Y form a real range. "From the Big Bang to the cosmic web, from stars to dark matter" is a list wearing a range costume; write the list.

21. Synonym cycling and repeated openings

Keep one stable name for each object or idea; do not cycle "the protagonist... the main character... the central figure... the hero." Do not open several sentences in a row with the identical subject by accident. Fix the repeated pattern by merging sentences or leading with the action; deliberate rhythmic repetition ("She came. She saw. She conquered.") stays.

22. Passive voice and missing subjects

Prefer a human subject doing something. "The results are preserved automatically" hides the actor; "The system preserves the results" names it. Use passive voice only when the agent is genuinely unknown or unimportant.

23. Filler and stacked qualifiers

Compress filler: "in order to" → "to", "due to the fact that" → "because", "at this point in time" → "now", "has the ability to" → "can", "it is important to note that" → cut. Do not stack hedges: "could potentially arguably" collapses to one supported qualifier or none. Remove caveats that only repair an earlier overstatement.

24. Hyphenated-pair inflation

Keep the hyphen in a compound modifier before a noun ("a high-quality report") and drop it after ("the report is high quality"). A text carpeted with "data-driven", "cross-functional", "end-to-end" pairs needs pruning, not more hyphens.

Formatting and chatbot artifacts

25. Dash abuse

Do not use em or en dashes in the final draft; replace each with a period, comma, colon, or parentheses, or rewrite the sentence. Exception: the user's own writing sample uses them, in which case match the sample's rate.

26. Bold overload

Do not bold words without a clear reason, and do not build lists where every item starts with a bold label and a colon ("Performance: Performance has been enhanced..."). Fold such lists into prose or drop the labels.

27. Title Case headings

Use sentence case in headings unless the target style guide says otherwise.

28. Decorative emojis

Do not add emojis to headings and list items as decoration.

29. Quote marks that fight the format

Match the quote style of the target format and the user's sample: straight quotes in code-adjacent and plain-text contexts, curly where the destination uses them. Curly quotes alone prove nothing; editors auto-curl.

30. Chatbot residue

Delete assistant-speak left in standalone text: "I hope this helps", "Certainly!", "Of course!", "Great question!", "You're absolutely right", "Would you like me to...", "Let me know if..." Also delete pre-answer flattery and agreement.

31. Heading restated in the first sentence

Do not follow a heading with a one-line paragraph that repeats the heading. Start with the real content.

Voice

32. Therapeutic polish

In personal messages, avoid generic validation, excessive emotional labeling, and perfectly balanced formulations that the speaker would not use.

33. Cosmetic humanity

Do not add fake anecdotes, staged vulnerability, rhetorical questions, profanity, or typos merely to make the text appear human.

What not to flag

A person may use any single pattern above. Do not treat these as proof: polished grammar, formal vocabulary, one em dash, curly quotes alone, one short emphatic sentence, deliberate repeated openings, letter-style salutations, ordinary transition words in isolation, real scope notes and legal disclaimers, real alternatives a reader would weigh, watched phrases inside quotations or titles or examples that discuss the phrase rather than use it.

Human details to keep

Preserve what carries the writer's voice: specific odd details, mixed feelings and unresolved tension, era-bound slang and references, deliberate word choices the writer can defend, genuine asides and self-corrections, and real variety in sentence length.

Replacement method

1. Identify the factual or emotional point.
2. Delete the frame.
3. Write the point in the speaker's normal syntax.
4. Compare the result with the surrounding voice.